Imphal, November 16: United Naga Council (UNC) president-in-charge Puni Modoli talks to Newmai News Network at Senapati on the present issue taken up by the Naga body on the Census-2001 controversy.

Newmai News Network (NNN)- What is your organization's opposition to the Manipur Government�s stand on the Census 2001 report? Puni Modoli- The Census 2001 report was accepted and notified by the Government of India based on the finding and the recommendation of the respective State Governments.

In the case of Manipur, it was as per the Government of Manipur�s recommendation to the Government of India.

However, when the Election Commission sought to set right the State�s ratio of electorate to Assembly Constituencies, it resulted in the transfer of 5 (five) Assembly Constituencies from the valley areas to the hill areas.

The Manipur Government in nervous haste retracted its certificate and vide its Cabinet resolution of 18/09/2003 rejected the figure of Census India 2001.The Government of Manipur is not the competent authority to retract or set aside the report of Census India which is a statutory body of the Government of India.

The Government of Manipur has once again exposed its biases against the tribal people of Manipur.

It has rendered tens of thousands of Naga people stateless with the stroke of a pen.

What can be more sinister and diabolic than this? Is this the spirit of friendship and brotherhood offered? NNN-How legally tenable do you think is your organizational stand or the stand of the Government of Manipur? Puni- Actually, the Government of Manipur has asserted that the Census 2001 figures were wrong or bogus.

If that is true, then the electoral rolls for the February,2002 elections to the 8th Legislative Assembly which was based on the population count of 2001, have to be also bogus.

Since a bogus electorate cannot elect a legitimate body, the stand of the Manipur Government tantamounts to questioning their own validity, the legitimacy of the 8th Legislative Assembly of Manipur.

Conversely, they have to dissolve the Assembly before they take the matter any further.

NNN- There are Naga and tribal Ministers and MLAs in the Government.

Do you think that they also have been a party to the decision? Puni- Unfortunately, yes it would seem.

We have not heard a word of dissent from our 11(eleven) MLAs.

Our representatives have ceased to represent our people.

But the choice have been theirs.

NNN- The Government of Manipur has moved the Courts to cancel the Census 2001 notification of Census India and has received a Stay Order from the Court.

What are your comments on this? Puni- The Government of Manipur filed a PIL in Guwahati High Court and managed to get a stay order.

The hearing was ex-parte because the aggrieved party was not duly identified nor adequately informed.

Next, against this stay order, immediate re-remuneration was conducted under duress and in war-like conditions, by involving thousands of para-military forces.

A stay order does not sanction this action.

However, the process got over before it properly started and armchair exercises instead, were conducted.

In Senapati District alone reportedly more than 60 (sixty) thousand genuine people had their names arbitrarily deleted from the census record.

What we have to keep in mind here is that the High Courts or Supreme Court are not above the Constitution.

The existence of people is not decided by the files they keep or are supplied.

NNN- How long or how far are you going with your current agitation? Puni- As you may have seen in the newspaper reports, the UNC have announced economic blockade from 5 am of 17th Nov to 5 pm of 26th Nov 2004.We have called the blockade after Ningol Chakouba, so that the festival passes off peacefully.

Economic blockade and not total blockade in view of the Prime Minister�s maiden visit to Manipur, so that preparations, movements, arrangements etc are not hampered and also for the sake of the Guwahati-Hanoi car rally which incidentally will be flagged-off by the Prime Minister at Guwahati.

After November 26, as per our aforesaid press release, we intend to impose indefinite total blockade until the Government of Manipur desist from their efforts to make the hill people homeless and stateless in their own land.

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